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NOIIV_I/SINIWOV g3Vdg aNV $:)IJ.nVNO_IgV 1VNOIIVN :...'..:",..":.:.:.:.:.:.: ::::::::::::::::::::::: -69-u-vd-os [ i:i:i:i:i:i:!:i:!:i:i:i MSC-PA-R-69-1 APOLLO 8 MISSION REPORT PREPARED BY Mission Evaluation Team APPROVED BY George M. Low Manager, Apollo Spacecraft Program NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION MANNED SPACECRAFT CENTER HOUSTON, TEXAS February 1969 Apollo 8 lift-off. iii CONTENTS Sect ion Page i. 0 SUMMARY ......................... i-i 2.0 INTRODUCTION ....................... 2-1 3.0 MISSION DESCRIPTION ............... 3-1 4.0 THE MOON ......................... 4-1 4. i PHOTOGRAPHIC OBJECTIVES ............. 4-1 4.2 FILM DESCRIPTION AND PROCESSING ......... 4-2 4.3 PHOTOGRAPHIC RESULTS ............... 4-5 4.4 CREW OBSERVATIONS ................ 4-9 4.5 LUNAR LIGHTING OBSERVATIONS ........... 4-10 4.6 INFORMAL OBSERVATIONS FROM EARTH ......... 4-10 5 •0 TRAJECTORY ........................ 5-i 5.1 LAUNCH PHASE ................... 5-1 5.2 EARTH PARKING ORBIT ................ 5-1 5 •3 TRANSLUNAR INJECTION ............... 5-2 5.4 TRANSLUNAR MIDCOURSE CORRECTIONS ......... 5-2 5.5 LDZ_AR ORBIT INSERTION ............. 5-3 5.6 TRANS EARTH INJECTION .............. 5-3 5.7 TRANSEARTH MIDCOURSE CORRECTION ......... 5-3 5.8 ENTRY ...................... 5- 3 5.9 TRAJECTORY ANALYSIS .............. 5-4 5.10 LUNAR ORBIT DETERMINATION ............ 5-4 6.0 COMMAND AND SERVICE MODULE PERFORMANCE .......... 6-1 6.1 STRUCTURAL AND MECHANICAL SYSTEMS ........ 6-1 6.2 AERODYNAMI CS ................... 6-9 6.3 THERMAL CONTROL ................. 6-11 6.4 HEAT PROTECTION SYSTEM .............. 6-13 6.5 ELECTRICAL POWER ............... 6-14 6.6 CRYOGENIC STORAGE ................ 6-21 6.7 COMMUNICATIONS .................. 6-24 iv Se ction Page 6.8 INSTR_ENTATION ................ 6-39 6.9 GUIDANCE, NAVIGATION, AND CONTROL SYSTEMS . 6-40 6.10 REACTION CONTROL SYSTemS ............ 6-71 6.11 SERVICE PROPULSION .............. 6-78 6.12 CREW SYSTEMS .................. 6-88 6.13 CREW STATION .................. 6-95 6.14 CONSUMABLES ............... 6-96 7.0 FLIGHT CREW ...................... 7-1 7.1 FLIGHT CREW PERFORMANCE ............ 7-1 7.2 PILOTS ' REPORT ................. 7-15 8.0 BIOMEDICAL EVALUATION ................. 8-1 8. i BIOINSTRI_MENTATION PERFORMANCE ......... 8-i 8.2 PHYSIOLOGICAL DATA ............... 8-2 8.3 MEDICAL OBSERVATIONS .............. 8-3 8.4 FOOD ...................... 8-5 8.5 WATER .................... 8-5 8.6 PHYSICAL EXAMINATIONS ............. 8-6 9.0 MISSION SUPPORT PERFORMANCE ............. 9-1 9.1 FLIGHT CONTROL ................ 9-1 9.2 NETWORK PERFORMANCE .............. 9-3 9.3 RECOVERY OPERATIONS .............. 9-h i0.0 LAUNCH VEHICLE PERFORMANCE ............... i0-i ii.0 ASSESSMENT OF MISSION OBJECTIVES ........... ii-i ii. i MIDCOURSE NAVIGATION/STAR-EARTH LANDMARK (SI. 32) .............. ii-i 11.2 LUNARLANDMARKTRACKING(P20.111) ...... 11-2 12.0 ANOMALY SUMMARY .................... 12-1 12.1 ENTRY MONITOR SYSTEM ERRORS .......... 12-i 12.2 WINDOW FOGGING ................. 12-2 12.3 NOISY CABIN FANS ................ 12-3 12.4 POSSIBILITY OF WATER INFLOW THROUGH CABIN PRESSURE RELIEF VALVE ............ 12-3 V Sect ion Page 12.5 BROKEN RECOVERY LOOP CABLES .......... 12-4 12.6 LACK OF SWIMMER INTERCOMMUNICATIONS ...... 12-4 12.7 POTABLE WATER TANK QUANTITY MEASUREMENT .... 12-5 12.8 FUEL CELL DEGRADATION DURING COUNTDOWN ..... 12-5 13.0 CONCLUSIONS ...................... 13-1 APPENDIX A - SPACE VEHICLE DESCRIPTION ............ A-I A.I COMMAND AND SERVICE MODULES .......... A-I A.2 LAUNCH ESCAPE SYSTEM .............. A-12 A.3 SPACECRAFT/LAUNCH VEHICLE ADAPTER ....... A-12 A. 4 LAUNCH VEHICLE ................. A-14 A.5 LUNAR MODULE TEST ARTICLE ........... A-I4 A. 6 MASS PROPERTIES ................ A-16 APPENDIX B - SPACECRAFt HISTORY ................ B-I APPENDIX C - POSTFLIGHT TESTING ................ C-I APPENDIX D - DATA AVAILABILITY ............... D-I £ L 1-1 1.0 SUMMARY Apollo 8 was the second manned flight in the program and the first manned lunar orbit mission. The crew were Fr_m_k Borman, Commander; James A. Lovell, Command Module Pilot; and William'A. Anders, Lunar Module Pilot. The Apollo 8 space vehicle was launched on time from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, at 7:51:00 a.m.e.s.t, on December 21, 1968. Following a nominal boost phase, the spacecraft and S-IVB combination was inserted - into a parking orbit of 98 by 103 nautical miles. After a post-insertion checkout of spacecraft systems, the 319-second translunar injection ma- neuver was initiated at 2:50:37 by reignition of the S-IVB engine. The spacecraft separated from the S-IVB at 3:20:59, followed by two separation maneuvers using the service module reaction control system. The first midcourse correction, made with a velocity change of 24.8 feet per second, was conducted at ll:00:00. The translunar coast phase was devoted to navigation sightings, two television transmissions, and various systems checks. The second midcourse correction, conducted at 60:59:55, was a velocity change of 1.4 feet per second. The 246.9-second lunar orbit insertion m_meuver was performed at 69:08:20, and the initial lunar orbit was 168°5 by 60.0 nautical miles. A maneuver to circularize the orbit was conducted at 73:35:07 and re- sulted in a lunar orbit of 59.7 by 60.7 nautical miles. The coast phase between maneuvers was devoted to orbit navigation and ground track deter- mination. Ten revolutions were completed during the 20 hours ll minutes spent in lunar orbit. The lunar orbit coast phase involved numerous landing-site/landmark sightings, lunar photography, and preparation for transearth injection. The transearth injection maneuver, 204 seconds in duration, was conducted at 89:19:17 using the service propulsion system. When possible during both the translunar and transearth coast phases, passive thermal control maneuvers of about one revolution per hour were effected to maintain temperatures within nominal limits. The transearth coast period involved a number of star/horizon navigation sightings using both the earth and moon horizons. The only transearth midcourse correc- tion was a maneuver of 4.8 feet per second made at 103:59:54. Command module/service module separation was at 146:28:48, and the command module reached the entry interface (400 000 feet altitude) at 146:46:14. Following normal deployment of all parachutes, the spacecraft landed in the Pacific Ocean at 8 degrees 8 minutes north latitude and 1-2 165 degrees 1 minute west longitude, as determined by the primary re- covery ship USS Yorktown. The total flight duration was 1_7 hours _2 sec- onds. Almost without exception, spacecraft systems operated as intended. All temperatures varied in a predictable manner within acceptable limits, and consumables usage was always maintained at safe levels. Communica- tions quality was exceptionally good, and live television was transmitted on six occasions. The crew superbly performed the planned mission. 2-1 2.0 INTRODUCTION The Apollo 8 mission was the eighth in a series of flights using specification Apollo hardware, the second manned flight of a block II spacecraft, and the first manned flight using a Saturn V launch vehicle. The mission was the first to the vicinity of the moon and was the con- tinuation of a program to develop manned lunar landing capability. The overall objectives of the mission were to demonstrate command and service module performance in a cislunar and lunar-orbit environment, to evaluate crew performance in a lunar-orbit mission, to demonstrate communications and tracking at lunar distances_ and to return high- resolution photography of proposed Apollo lan_ng areas and other loca- tions of scientific interest. Because of the excellent performance of spacecraft systems